FREDERICK, Md. – The Salisbury University men's basketball team dropped a tough opening matchup against the seventh-ranked Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College, falling 79-66 on Friday evening on the first day of the Rotary Club of Frederick Tip-Off Tournament, hosted by Hood College.
Brendan Davis netted Salisbury's first points of the campaign on a jumper from the elbow, answering an early basket from Randolph-Macon to tie the game at 2-2. The Yellow Jackets answered with five straight before
Reed Rebstock cashed in a layup following a feed from
Leon Elung, 7-4.
The sides traded baskets over the next four minutes, 10-10, with Elung's four points headlining Salisbury's efforts in the stretch. The Yellow Jackets scored seven of the next nine, interrupted by a pair of charity stripe baskets from Rebstock, to take a 24-16 advantage.
Baskets from
Kedrick Frink and Rebstock sandwiched an RMC three-ball before the Yellow Jackets rolled out an 8-2 run, 35-22. An 8-7 split across the final four minutes of the period established a 43-29 lead at the break.
The Yellow Jackets and Sea Gulls each fired off an early run in the second period. RMC opened the period with an 8-4 run in which they made all three looks from the floor, while SU immediately swung back with a 7-0 stretch over the next two minutes that saw
Daniel Oyediran drop five points, 51-40.
The following six minutes saw Randolph-Macon narrowly outpace Salisbury, taking 13 of the next 22 to widen the lead to 64-49. The Sea Gulls scored six of their final 10 tries with Elung dropping a team-high six points in the final eight minutes of the matchup, but the Yellow Jackets maintained the margin to head to the tournament's second day with a 79-66 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Reed Rebstock netted a team-high 15 points while adding six rebounds and a pair of assists.
- Leon Elung tallied 14 points and tacked on five boards in his Sea Gull debut.
- Kedrick Frink finished with 11 points and shared the team-high in assists (4) with Brendan Davis.
- Jordan Oates led the squad with nine rebounds, adding six points and a pair of blocks.
The Sea Gulls will now play in tomorrow's consolation game, facing the Notre Dame (Md.) Gators to round out the weekend tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Frederick, Md.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 200 conference championships, and 50 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
